Safaricom Strengthens Market Leadership in Kenya’s Broadband Sector
June 25th 2026
Kenya’s telecommunications market continued to evolve during the third quarter of the 2025/2026 financial year, with the latest industry figures highlighting two defining trends: Safaricom further strengthened its leadership across mobile communications and digital financial services, while Starlink Internet Services Kenya continued to gain traction in the country’s fixed broadband market.
Safaricom Continues to Set the Pace
The latest Sector Statistics Report from the Communications Authority of Kenya, covering January to March 2026, confirms Safaricom’s overwhelming lead across the country’s telecom ecosystem.
The operator captured 68.9% of all active mobile subscriptions, equivalent to 57.9 million of Kenya’s 84.1 million SIM cards. It also accounted for 62.7% of mobile broadband subscriptions, reinforcing its position as the country’s primary provider of mobile connectivity.
Its market leadership extended to voice and messaging services, carrying nearly two-thirds (64.9%) of domestic mobile voice traffic and almost all SMS traffic, with a commanding 93.9% market share.
Safaricom’s influence is even more pronounced in digital finance. Through M-PESA, the company controlled 89.1% of Kenya’s mobile money market, which reached 53.4 million active subscriptions during the quarter. With mobile money penetration now standing at 100.1%, digital payments remain deeply embedded in everyday life, further cementing Safaricom’s role at the center of Kenya’s digital economy.
The company also retained its leadership in fixed broadband, serving 941,501 subscribers and securing a 35.4% market share—well ahead of the second-largest provider, Jamii Telecommunications Ltd, at 19.5%.
Starlink Strengthens Its Position
While Safaricom continues to dominate traditional telecom services, Starlink is steadily expanding its footprint in Kenya’s broadband landscape.
The satellite internet provider ranked among the country’s top 10 fixed internet service providers for the first time, ending the quarter with 24,999 subscriptions and a 0.9% market share.
Although still a relatively small player, Starlink’s progress reflects the growing acceptance of low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite connectivity. According to the regulator, satellite broadband recorded the fastest growth of any fixed access technology during the quarter, increasing by 11.4%, driven by stronger demand for satellite-based internet services.
At the same time, Kenya’s international internet capacity expanded by 16.4% to 28,130 Gbps, providing additional bandwidth to support rising consumer and enterprise demand for high-speed connectivity.
Unlike fiber-based providers, Starlink focuses on connecting remote and underserved communities where deploying terrestrial infrastructure remains difficult or cost-prohibitive. Rather than competing directly with established fiber operators, its services currently complement existing broadband networks by extending connectivity beyond traditional coverage areas.
Demand for High-Speed Connectivity Continues to Grow
Kenya’s fixed internet market maintained strong momentum during the quarter, with subscriptions rising 7.9% to 2.66 million.
Fiber remained the dominant fixed access technology with 1.47 million subscriptions, followed by terrestrial wireless services with 950,317 subscriptions. Most users continued to subscribe to packages offering download speeds between 10 Mbps and 30 Mbps, reflecting the market’s preference for affordable, mid-range broadband services.
Mobile internet usage also reached new highs. Total mobile broadband consumption climbed 6% to 800 million gigabytes, while average monthly usage per subscriber increased to 15.1 GB. Users connected to 5G networks consumed an average of 53.5 GB per month, underscoring the growing appetite for bandwidth-intensive applications.
The transition to smart devices also accelerated, with 50.2 million smartphones now connected to Kenyan mobile networks, significantly outnumbering the country’s 28.5 million feature phones.
A Diversifying Connectivity Landscape
The latest market data illustrates a telecommunications sector that is expanding on multiple fronts. Safaricom continues to consolidate its position through unmatched scale across mobile connectivity, broadband, and mobile financial services, reinforcing its status as Kenya’s leading digital infrastructure provider.
At the same time, Starlink’s steady growth demonstrates the increasing role satellite broadband can play in closing connectivity gaps, particularly in rural and hard-to-reach areas. As satellite technology matures, hardware becomes more affordable, and coverage expands, Kenya’s broadband market could gradually shift from one defined primarily by fiber deployment to one supported by a broader mix of terrestrial and space-based connectivity solutions.
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